AFIB and Congestive Heart Failure

What does your doctor say about not feeling any improvements? How long have you been on them? Don't keep quiet. Medications do not work for everyone which is why trying different combos is often the only answer.

Are you looking to have surgery to deal with the heart failure or trying just medications?

It's hard for any of us reading to second-guess your care prescriptions and treatments. We don't have enough information about you and your recent history, and none of us is a health care professional qualified to offer you advice....only anecdotal experiences. From those shared tips and experiences, wherever they match a person's circumstances, we all look for a pattern that might point to a way forward for those not doing as well as they'd hoped.

It is not uncommon for an ablatee to be placed on, or to continue taking, an anti-arrhythmic drug (AAD) for at least some of the 'blanking period' of about 12 weeks post-ablation. For a few it might be amiodarone, for most its flecainide, and for a great many propafenone suffices. I suppose in your case Sotalol is what is the best fit....for some reason. Taking an AAD, even though you've just been ablated, helps to get the heart over a 'bad patch' where its endothelial and nether substrate in the left atrium have been repeated burned to form scars across which the electrical impulses emitting from the pulmonary veins cannot pass. Since they cannot pass over the many scars, they die there. This lets your SA node retain full rhythm control of your left atrium.

I'm no expert at this, but it would be my hope, and expectation, that you would have been told to cease taking any AAD at least several days before you get the Holter Monitor assessment to reveal how your heart has handled the ablation. There would be little point to keeping you on a masking agent with the expectation that the Holter would reveal the true nature of your left atrium's ability to stay in normal sinus rhythm.

Some, a few, do poorly on apixaban (Eliquis). Most tolerate it quite well. Until the Holter shows you are truly free of AF, taking apixaban is insurance against a debilitating stroke. You should ask your EP if you can stop taking it if your blanking period and the ablation that preceded it are solid. However, if you have 'other things going on', any other risks or comorbidities that put you at a risk of thromboembolic events, your cardiologist, PCP, and EP would all urge you to at least take a baby aspirin once a day if you really refuse the apixaban.

Really, this entire question needs five minutes in a cardiologist's offices where you listen, get handed pamphlets, or given a list of websites to visit. Once you can put your mind at ease, especially that you're actually getting great care, you might feel better about the whole thing.

After my ablation for supraventricular tachycardia I immediately started have Atrial tachycardia and still do. The surgeon says after the valve replacements that will go away. I hope he is right. The meantime I am on metoprolol for the arrthymia.

mjw3
There is a protocol for CHF=MEDS.
The ones you're on? Those are them. Plus maybe amiodarone and diuretics.
We have a choice. Treat the heart and feel like crap, or stop the meds and ....?
There are good days and bad days. Generally speaking, I 'd rather not be 80 with congestive heart failure. 🤷‍♂️

@shmerdloff Thank you for your reply. I am also on furosemide and forgot to mention that. I was on amiodorone and the Dr. That did my ablation took me off of it and put me on soltalol. He doesn't like the side effects of it.

@mjw3
I read here and checked it out, amiodarone can result in CKF. Chronic Kidney Failure. Wanna trade your heart for dialysis? Glad you are off it.
My cardiodoc is supposed to monitor my bloods. He has never asked for lab draw cbc or panel. He is a very good clinician and treater.
My pcp took bloods and got all upset at my kidney numbers.
They have very different personalities and apparently dont talk to each other. One tells me to tell the other one blah blah. Then the other one sends me back to the first one saying tell him blah blah.
This is modern medicine😄

Some of us, including me, take all of these meds plus Amioderone which is a heart rhythm medication. Very toxic and only for the short term. Also taking torsemide which is a daily diuretic.

@shmerdloff honestly, sometimes I feel like they really don't care and have become complacent with their patients!

It is because they practice giving out prescriptions not on getting their patient healthy. That is the way they were taught. Most important the majority of doctors are associated with practices that allow them 5 or 10 minutes per patient. A grave injustice to the patient and medical care in general. This is why more and more go to telemedicine.

@mjw3 healthcare